Day Trips in Botswana

If you’re planning on staying for a few nights anywhere in Southern Africa, you should add a day trip or two to your travel itinerary. The unspoilt natural beauty of Botswana is a pleasure to behold.

Kalahari Tours

Botswana is surprisingly green for an African country. Chobe National Park overlooking the Chobe river is fantastic for day-trips, with knowledgeable tour guides taking boats and 4×4 trucks all around the park. Based in the North-West district of Botswana, the Chobe National park receives rave reviews (4.5 stars on TripAdvisor). You’ll see lots of all types of animals beside the river and the locals are friendly and welcoming to tourists.

There are boat cruises and game drives to choose from depending on your time schedule and budget. Chobe boat cruises are a speedy 1-3 hours for a slightly higher price, or if you want to observe animals up close and personal, Chobe drives can last up to eight hours for only around £50.

Victoria Falls, separating the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe, is the world’s largest waterfall. A tour from Chobe National Park to Victoria Falls and back is a popular day trip for holidaymakers staying near to Kasane. The trip takes five and a half hours, but longer tours are available of Zimbabwe’s Hwange national park to the east of Botswana if you would like to savour the sights.

There are also highly rated tours in the centre of the country. Nxai Pan National Park has some of Africa’s most ancient and attractive trees. The baobabs are a hit with nature enthusiasts as scientists have found that the trees are shockingly dying and may soon disappear. Next to Nxai Pan is Makgadikgadi National Park, another hugely popular tourist attraction due to its green landscapes and wildlife – including elephants, zebras, rhinos, leopards, meerkats and more.

Safari Excursions

With five-star TripAdvisor reviews all-round, it would be difficult to be disappointed by the wildlife on offer on Safari trips in any greenery in Botswana. Graham Boynton of the Telegraph hailed Botswana “the best safari in Africa”, renowned for its herds of hundreds of Buffalo and lions. You will always be in safe hands though, thanks to trained and professional tour guides.

The vehicles in Kgora and Tamafupa safaris are custom-built for a 360° view of game. The staff-to-guest ratio is usually 2:1, so you’ll get expert insight on wildlife from animal to animal. Various mammals swim in the Okavango Delta in South West Botswana, the largest in-land delta in the world. Other concessional land with safari excursions have postcodes that can be found on any digital map, such as “NG/26 Elephant Back Safaris”.

Game Reserves

The Moremi Game Reserve in the Okavango Delta is rated as the best Botswanan reserve for wildlife-viewing. It’s famed for its wetlands around the river and a dry peninsula for a better chance of sighting game mammals, for tourists with a special interest in that area. Game hunting is legal in Botswana. CT/1 Concessionaire in the South-East allows for hunting opportunities.